Paula Abdul: Ex-Idol's Claims Are Lies

The lawyer for American Idol judge Paula Abdul is not taking kindly to ABC's plans for a May 4 Primetime Live special that the network says will "explore explosive claims about behind-the-scenes activities" at the hit FOX hit show.

Without specifying what the special intends to say about Abdul, her attorney, Martin Singer, reportedly has fired off a letter telling ABC to steer clear of unsubstantiated allegations about her.

"There's a false story that's defamatory to Paula," her rep tells New York's Daily News. "Her lawyer responded to that."

On Tuesday, fellow Idol judge Simon Cowell defended his colleague, who has been the subject of several tabloid reports saying that Abdul, who suffers several physical ailments, uses narcotic substances. "I do think they're rubbish," he told TV's Extra.

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In this week's PEOPLE cover story, Abdul, 42, says of the accusations: "Drugs? I'm not addicted to pills of any kind."

In its press release about its special, ABC says the show will investigate the relationships between Idol judges and contestants. The announcement follows reports that booted 2003 contestant Corey Clark is peddling a book proposal in which he reputedly claims to have had an affair with Abdul and that she secretly paid for a cell phone so he could call her.

Speaking to PEOPLE, Abdul calls such reports "hideous and mean."

Regarding the reports about Clark, a spokesperson for Abdul released the
following to TV’s Access Hollywood: "Paula Abdul will not dignify the false
statements made by Corey Clark with a response. Mr. Clark is an admitted liar and
opportunist who engages in unlawful activities. He is communicating lies about
Paula Abdul in order to generate interest in a book deal."